Sylvheriel, the self-proclaid priestess elf, explained everything about their continent that was ho to elves and spirits, which no one but those of pure hearts and elves could see. Naturally, she skipped the details that were sensitive information related to the secrets of the kingdom.
"I have no idea how you humans govern your place, but for us elves, our ho and our people are the most sacred of them all."
Listening to her going on and on about how superior their race was to humans, Wuhan and the others were starting to get annoyed. The disdain on Noah's face only deepened the more she spoke.
"Enough!" Having enough of her rambling, Wuhan silenced her with a cold exclamation. "The only thing I am interested to know is what you were doing so far away from your ho, sneaking into the territories of the humans, as you call us?"
Wuhan asked, his voice dipped with sarcasm.
"Can I take this as an act of war from the elves? Sending spies across the sea to spy on my empire?"
Wuhan was simply trying to scare Sylvheriel, but he never expected the arrogant one who was looking down on him to suddenly look so downcast. Her eyes moistened as tears threatened to drip out of them.
The emperor had never seen such bullshit developnt in his life, so he turned to his friend for help. Although he was not feeling bad seeing her crying, he needed so answers, and that could only happen when she stopped crying.
But sadly for Wuhan, Noah looked at the scene with an indifferent look on his face.
The elf woman turned to look at him with a tear-streaked face and plopped down on her knees.
"Please, oh great chosen one, the one blessed by the great divine tree itself. I beg of you…" She begged Noah with a desperate look on her face, her voice cracking as she spoke, "Please save our kingdom!"
"Those people… in red and black cloaks… their faces covered in burning sun-like images." The more she spoke, the hoarser her voice got. "They took everything from us. Our kingdom, our peace, our ho."
"I don't know what sorcery they used to sway people; they turned people into puppets and made us fight them."
"My…my mother… She is chained in the dungeon by those monsters."
Her sobs echoed in the silent hall; at this point, no one even cared what she ant by Noah being blessed by so tree or why she was being so subservient to him.
They all now listened to her pleas with a silent heart. Now they knew her previous actions were nothing but bravado to keep a strong front before the enemy, aning those who imprisoned her.
But Wuhan and Shi Tzu were shaken unlike anyone else; their minds interpreted the situation in a way the others could not.
Red and black cloaks with sun images covering their faces—who else could it be but the people from the cursed Red Dawn Cult?
'Their influence has even reached other continents?' Wuhan felt that dealing with this cult was growing more and more difficult with each passing day.
Now he could not help but worry for her aunt, Song Liu. She was sent directly into the mouth of such a fierce tiger.
'I have to solidify the rule over the empire and set up a eting with the other empires. We have to join together if we want to deal with such an enemy.
But I don't even know how much they have infiltrated the other empire.
While his worries only grew with each passing second, so did Sylvheriel's sobs.
"My father… he was beheaded in front of … in front of everyone, and I have no news about my aunt or any other relative." She raised her head to look at Noah's face, her pitiful face now covered in snot and tears.
"Please, help save them, help save everyone—"
Then she suddenly stopped; her heart trembled when she saw the man looking at him with pure indifference and coldness. Like her situation mattered nothing to him, like her life and death mattered nothing to him.
"Why?" Noah asked.
"Why would what happened to your kingdom matter to ?" His voice carried a weight her heart could not bear. "And why would you ask help from the humans whom you have deed beneath yourselve's?"
"This…" Sylvheriel was flustered for the first ti; she could not even form proper words for a while. "But you are the blessed—"
"And? What about it?" He interjected in her words coldly, "You know I rarely hold grudges with soone, but your Elven race is sothing I despise from every fiber of my being."
Wuhan pursed his lips in the background, watching the woman trembling on the ground, looking as if her whole life had been a lie and all of her hopes had been shattered.
"No matter how much you grovel or beg for help, I have no reason to help an Elf." If she could not believe his words, she felt deep disdain from his words, in his eyes, and in every fiber of his being.
She had no idea what had happened for Noah to have so much hate towards elves, but she could feel that the hopes of him helping her would be close to null.
She watched his feet, the only thing she could see with her gaze lowered, walking away from her.
It was like he was saying he did not even want to see her.
Wuhan wanted to ask more about the cult, but he could feel that it was not the right ti to ask her this question.
So he chose his own words correctly: "He may not be willing to help you, but my Feng empire is willing to lend its help."
"Your majesty—" Shi Tzu was shocked beyond words; before he could dissuade him, Wuhan silenced him with a single look.
Sylvheriel could not believe what she was hearing; for a while she stared at him blankly.
It took her a while to register his words. Even though she heard the words she wanted to hear, there was no hint of happiness or gratitude in her eyes.
In fact, there was only a deep, empty void in her eyes.
"And why would you do that? When soone who is supposed to help the weak, vanquish their fears, refuses to help ". She looked at Noah from the corner of her eyes without any fear or other emotions and asked again, "Why would you do it?"
Noah showed no response to hearing any of their words and leaned against a pillar with his eyes closed.
"Of course it won't be for free." Wuhan also glanced at Noah, and seeing his indifference, he heaved a sigh of relief; his words gained even more confidence.
"I am willing to help you, but are you ready to pay the price for this help?"
The elf priestess went silent once more, this ti not at the loss of words but for contemplating her answer.
"I have nothing left to give to you but my life," she said, her voice devoid of the warmth of life. "I can offer it to you as long as you can help free my people from their peril."
"I do not need your life…" Wuhan shook his head, not minding the look in her eyes; he stared deeply within them and said, "...I will tell you the rest once we have saved your people. I want only one thing now: I want your elves to help our empire in the ti of need."
"And are you certain that he won't stop you from helping ?" She asked, her eyes shimring with hope once more.
"Will you?" Wuhan looked at Noah with a small smile. Hearing his words, Noah opened his eyes and looked back at him without even glancing at the woman who was now staring at him.
"It's your choice; I will not interfere in your matters. If everything is done here, I have to leave for my journey." Seeing Wuhan's subtle smile, Noah's lips twitched.
"I have left a seal on her body; you won't be needing to help translate your words to her or vice versa."
Shaking his head, he turned around to walk towards the gate, ignoring the displeased look he was getting from the guards for the way he was talking to THEIR EMPEROR.
"See you later, my friend." Wuhan turned his attention back to Sylvheriel and said, "There you have it."
"Do you have any more doubts?"
"No!"
Taking a deep look in the eyes of the man sitting on the throne, Sylvheriel slowly stood up from the ground.
"I accept your offer." She regained her previous proud deanor, but this ti there was no arrogance in her tone.
"Very well." Wuhan nodded in satisfaction; even Shi Tzu on the side seed happy, while inwardly he scolded himself for ever doubting his emperor. "We will talk in detail about the matter later; I am sure you are tired."
"Pri minister, please arrange her living quarters next to Captain Black Sword, as he is already familiar with Miss Sylvheriel here."
'Ah~ As expected of his majesty. He has already thought of the perfect punishnt for the unruly captain. Shi Tzu looked at Wuhan with deep, unnatural admiration. "I will make sure it's done personally."
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